Template:Internet Archive SCOTUS URL/doc

{{Internet Archive SCOTUS URL}} or {{IA SCOTUS URL}} is a helper template to generate URLs to the Internet Archive's U.S. Supreme Court repository, which has over 120,000 cases including cert denied cases.

Because it outputs a raw URL string, the template designed to be nested inside the |url= parameter of citation templates like {{cite case}} and {{cite court}}, or within the |internetarchive= parameter of {{Caselaw source}}.

Usage

This template can operate in two modes:

1. Direct ID Mode: If you know the exact Internet Archive identifier, it links directly to the document viewer. It also supports linking to a specific page or leaf number.
2. Dynamic Search Mode: If the ID is unknown, the template algorithmically generates a specialized search URL targeting the case based on its docket number, official citation, or historical volume.

Parameter Priority

The template cascades through the parameters and will use the first valid parameter it finds and ignore the rest: id > docket > us > sct > year & vol

Parameter List

Template Parameters

Parameter	Description	Example
id	The specific Internet Archive identifier for the document or bundle. Bypasses all search logic. Can include sub-paths for specific documents within a larger bundle.	|id=micro_IA40385013_0575 |id=micro_IA40385013_0575/micro_IA40385013_0575 02. Petition for Writ of Certiorari
page or pages	Only functions when id is used. Links to a specific page number within the bookreader. It supports both standard page numbers and leaf identifiers.	|page=42 |page=n8
docket	The Supreme Court docket number. Highly recommended for "cert denied" cases that do not have an official U.S. Reports citation.	|docket=18-1128
us	The official United States Reports citation.	|us=343 U.S. 414
sct	The Supreme Court Reporter citation. Useful for newer cases that have not yet been published in the official U.S. Reports.	|sct=139 S. Ct. 1629
year & vol	Used in tandem for historical cases (19th century) that lack a modern docket number or standard legal citation.	|year=1830 |vol=77
search	Search method. Use this as a standalone method for linking to search results.	|search=title:"Rosenberg v. Fleuti"

Examples

1. Direct ID with Page Number

When linking to a specific page in a known document, provide the id and page. Leaf numbers (e.g., n8) are supported for documents lacking internal pagination.

• Wikitext: {{cite case |title=Petition for Writ |url={{IA SCOTUS URL |id=micro_IA40385013_0575 |page=42}} }}
• Outputs URL: https://archive.org/details/micro_IA40385013_0575/page/42

2. Search by Docket Number (Cert Denied)

Most items in the collection are cert denied cases that lack standard legal citations. Use the docket number.

• Wikitext: {{cite case |title=Minchuk v. Strand |url={{IA SCOTUS URL |docket=18-1128}} }}
• Outputs URL: https://archive.org/search.php?query=collection%3A%28us-supreme-court%29+AND+description%3A%22Docket+No.%3A+18-1128%22

3. Search by Official Citation

If the case was fully heard and published, search using the official U.S. Reports citation.

• Wikitext: {{cite court |litigants=Pennsylvania Water & Power Co. v. FPC |url={{IA SCOTUS URL |us=343 U.S. 414}} }}
• Outputs URL: https://archive.org/search.php?query=collection%3A%28us-supreme-court%29+AND+description%3A%22343+U.S.+414%22

4. Search by Historical Year and Volume

For 19th-century cases where metadata is limited.

• Wikitext: {{Caselaw source |internetarchive={{IA SCOTUS URL |year=1830 |vol=77}} }}
• Outputs URL: https://archive.org/search.php?query=collection%3A%28us-supreme-court%29+AND+date%3A1830+AND+volume%3A77

5. Search by keywords

To search on items by keywords

• Wikitext {{IA SCOTUS URL |search=title:"Rosenberg v. Fleuti"}}
• Outputs URL: https://archive.org/search.php?query=collection%3A%28us-supreme-court%29+AND+title%3A%22Rosenberg+v.+Fleuti%22

Error Handling

If this template is transcluded without any valid parameters, or if the provided parameters fail the data normalization checks (e.g., passing alphabetical characters into the vol parameter), the template will return an empty string.

When nested inside standard citation templates like {{cite case}}, this intentional failure will cause the host template to trigger a native Wikipedia error (such as "URL required") and add the page to the appropriate citation maintenance categories.

To fix the error, ensure you have provided at least one valid key-value pair and check for severe typos.